Some would say there wasn’t holding in the technical sense, and if anything Smith interfered with Crabtree once the ball was in the air. Others would say Crabtree was equally engaged in the hand fighting.

Others (like me) would say that the flags go deeper in the pockets at moments like that, that the 49ers knew this when they called the play, and that the 49ers benefited from that dynamic when linebacker NaVorro Bowman held/hit/whatever Falcons receiver Roddy White with the NFC title game on the line.

On a point of mutual interest in both San Francisco and Kansas City, Smith was asked about the trade that, in one week, will send quarterback Alex Smith to the Chiefs.

70 responses to “Aldon Smith says “we all know” Crabtree was held”

As a Niner lifer I can tell you they didn’t deserve to win that game. If you can’t punch it with 4 tries from the 7 yard line against that old, tired Ravens D (without Ngata in there) you don’t deserve to be world champs.

Yes Smith held Crabtree… but you need to finish the statement by saying that Crabtree also held smith and got away with hands to the head/face, not to mention the whole Bowman White thing in the NFCCG. Classless whiners just like their coach and fans.

yeah, the calls went both ways, it wasn’t like the Ravens got all the calls and the niners got none. Dennis pitta was robbed in the end zone and flacco was leveled after he was about a yard out of bounds.

“Others (like me) would say that the flags go deeper in the pockets at moments like that, that the 49ers knew this when they called the play, and that the 49ers benefited from that dynamic when linebacker NaVorro Bowman held/hit/whatever Falcons receiver Roddy White with the NFC title game on the line.”

Second….I’m really sick of the “they got away with it in Atlanta” thing. Bowman jammed White at 5 yards, rode him parallel to the LOS (legal…look it up), let go when the ball was released and deflected the ball away with his hand.

That is all LEGAL.

The PI/Holding on Smith was BEYOND 5 yards and involved the jersey actually being pulled.

Yes, we as Niner fans need to move on, but ENOUGH of the “they got away with it in Atlanta”. They didn’t. In Atlanta it was the proper call. The rulebook is quite clear in this regard.

In total agreement with each of the preceding three entries: been a Niner since 1957 who has seen his share of bad calls over the years and was beyond mortified at the same idiot calls in a row; and Yes Aldon, we got robbed, they got robbed, and its called football so let it rest; and, just some are still crying – and will be dozens of years from now. So – everybody – lets move on. As a “wrap” the Niners actually “lost” the game in the first half. They came out “blinded by the light” and the Ravens didn’t. And Yes – Jim was correct, in that game, his brother John WAS the better coach. Them’s the facts, folks. Live with it.

it was fair, giving that all game both sides weren’t call on several P.I.’s. i totally agree with @thereisfootballwestofjersey if you can punch it in the end zone in the super bowl you dont deserved to be champs. i was rooting for the 9ers but the Ravens won it fair hands down.

It was definitely holding, the ravens got a way with one but he 49ers should have scored a td way before then. I agree with the post above, its almost like the league wanted bmore to win because lewis was retiring.

I wonder if ASmith is going to also be complaining about all the the times the “other ” Smith was holding those OG’s so he could come around a make sacks. Oh….I guess its only wrong when YOUR team doesn’t get the call

There are so many of these bad call/no call plays it is hard to keep track of. My team has both benefited and been hurt-(Browns fan) I guess it balances out in the end… When Seattle lost to the Steelers a few Super Bowls back I remember thinking how they got robbed big time..fast forward to this year and you have the win vs GB and what I thought was the worst post season non-call of all when Santana Moss got ankle tackled without the ball in the fourth quarter. Those same Steelers who benefited from the Seattle penalties in the Super Bowl were ousted from the playoffs back in early Y2k by the Titans via a bogus roughing the kicker call……It all balances out…

Forty Whiners act like Crabtree didn’t initate contact. By his logic, the Giants would have had a beef about the call on Ramses Barden vs. Philadelphia. You don’t see Giants players and fans whining about that (with that game in the bag, you lose to the Giants once AGAIN and don’t even get to the Super Bowl in the first place).

“We all know” the Ravens are SB XLVII Champions. “We all know” that Aldon Smith had a grand total of zero sacks from the moment Justin Smith left the game against the Patriots through the rest of the season. Those are two facts that do not hinge on opinions – they are what they are.

Why is this considered whining? Someone asked him the question and he answered it. I guess I can see it though since none of your teams could even make it to the conference title game 2 years in a row (except the Ravens and Patriots).

I wonder if ASmith is going to also be complaining about all the the times the “other ” Smith was holding those OG’s so he could come around a make sacks. Oh….I guess its only wrong when YOUR team doesn’t get the call
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Now THAT’s whining!

If that’s holding, it would be called, especially since it’s been brought up over and over and over and over……

As a long time 49ers fan, I was initially upset about a no call on that play but it took all of 3 minutes for me to realize the 9ers lost the game because of bad play calling in the end and poor execution. Ravens deserved to win that game, they were the better team.

But for the technical difficulties with the lights, the game may have been over early in the 3rd Qtr. in Baltimore favor!

Let’s just say, for example, there was indeed. holding by the defense. What you and your Coach failed to realize is that there was holding on the offensive side of the ball ALL DAY LONG that wasn’t consistently called also. Kinda even things out to me.

Oh, when LMJ fumbled the ball during that crucial drive, there was holding there too! why aren;t you complaining about that?

Get over it, the TEAM that persevered through all the bs won the game…..BTW, that sound you hear in the background is the confetti falling from the Super Dome ceiling……remember that ….if and when you and the Niners ever get back to the big stage!

He was asked about it and he gave his honest answer so it’s not like he brought it up which WOULD have been crying or whining, besides its not like any of the accusers on here would say that to his face now would ya?

There were a ton of egregious calls. The two special teamers mauling Bruce Miller that sprung Jones for the TD return not to mention the multiple players getting anaconda’d on the fake punt to run out the clock at the end of the game.

And whether or not they messed up the first half is not a valid reason for them not deserving the win if they had pulled it off. I agree they shouldn’t have put themselves in that position but there come back and near victory was impressive.

Of course they should have drilled it in there. Cover zero and no Ngata easy call, just do what got them there, run the ball.

That didn’t happen and we all know who won and deservedly so, but lets be fair in our assessments

It should have never come down to whether or not an official throws the flag there. They should have been able to punch it in from the five but they couldn’t. The Ravens were lucky to get out of there with the win.

But, Aldon Smith was simply asked a question and he answered it truthfully. What is it about that that’s “whining?” He’s not the only person who thinks there was a hold. Lots of people who aren’t Niner fans think Crabtree was held because he was held. I could call the people who refuse to stop pretending he wasn’t held whiners as well. Stop whining about the complaining!

There is a HUGE difference between the play Bowman made and the play Smith made.

1. The falcons had a 4th and 5 and Jones ran a 4yd pattern. Bowman is allowed by rule to maintain contact with 5 yards. Once the ball was in the air he dis-engaged and made a play on the ball. So there was no holding penalty on that play.

2. The 49ers were 4th and goal at the 5yd line. Smith was still engage with Crabtree two yards deep in the end zone and still while the ball was in the air. Smith did not allow Crabtree to dis-engage after 5yds. By rule you could have called 3 penalties. Holding, illegal contact or pass interference.

If the refs are not going to make calls during the 4th quarter of football and basketball games then they should just leave the field. It doesn’t make sense to have them there if they are not going to continue to do there job.

The short is that ref didn’t make the call and by not doing it he allowed the refs to become the story of the Super Bowl. If the ref would have made the correct call the talk would be about how Smith was beaten bad on the play and had to hold the receiver to prevent the TD, not the refs blowing the call in the most crucial time in the game.

I love how reporters take quotes out of context so much. He was asked a question about the call and answered it….he didn’t bring it up again/whine about it. People can say what they want about the smith trade, dont ask a rookie rude questions, he obviously feels bad for smith and looked up to him as a leader.

1: I don’t hear any niners fans bringing up the three point gift they were given on that phantom running into the kicker call when akers missed. Guy clearly rolled under him without ever making contact. Without that you’re down 34-26 and can only tie even if the niners score

2. Joe flacco had just led the ravens on consecutive field goal drives prior to the goal line stand. If you do score at the end there, he gets the ball back with 1:40 left on the clock and three timeouts down by 1 or 3 (depending on the two point conversion). Who’s to say he doesn’t drive the ravens down the field for the win anyway?

I absolutely love 40-whiners fans acting like half a season of Kap proves that he’s the greatest QB in the league, but Flacco making the playoffs 5 years in a row, 3 AFC championship games, 1 SB VICTORY, tying Montana’s post season record of 11-0 TD-INT, and a SB MVP makes him average at best.

Would the 9ers and their fans have even been in a position to complain about that non-call had the obvious personal foul been called when Flacco got tagged 3 yards out of bounds on the preceding series?

Forty Whiners act like Crabtree didn’t initate contact. By his logic, the Giants would have had a beef about the call on Ramses Barden vs. Philadelphia. You don’t see Giants players and fans whining about that (with that game in the bag, you lose to the Giants once AGAIN and don’t even get to the Super Bowl in the first place).

Only a Giants fan could come up with such a ridiculously stupid response like this. So off-base, clueless logic. Nobody was sad to see you guys out of the playoffs… again. And they won’t be next year either.

Let’s face it the Officials were no better than those they replaced after week 3. It’s been this way for a LONG time and as long as there is an Official in the Backfield instead of the Secondary Holding penalties will not be called much.

The Ravens OLine were Holding all game long. Difficult to get Sacks as it is, but the Ravens were gettin away with murder pretty much all game long.

On the Offsetting penalty(Unsportsmanlike Conduct) there were 3 offenses on that play. Should have called the Ravens twice for UC. The most notable was Anthony Davis on his back and a Linebacker/DB was on top of him throwing blows to the midsection like he was competing in UFC. The call against the Ravens was on someone else on the Sideline as that player was giving someone the business and they retaliated. How in the hell the Davis UFC match was missed I do not know but these Refs are no better than the Replacement Officials imho.

Had the Whiners showed up to play 60 minutes of football instead of 30 they wouldn’t have had to take it down to the last play. Heck, if the lights hadn’t gone out, they would have been blown out anyway. It’s over, you lost…..stick a fork in it.

I’m a Niner for life… but it’s all history now and I don’t want to be among the whiners either. However the play that made the difference wasn’t that one… but the kick-off return to open the second half. How those stupid zebras could have missed two Raven’s with their arms linked around #49 completely sealed our fate for this game. Go to hell NFL!

Disclaimer: This is coming from a 49er fan for the last 19 years who’s endured Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary and is mostly glad things have changed for the better.

That one call, missed or not, didn’t cost the Niners the game. The fact that they played like absolute ish before the lights went out did. 28-6? And Jacoby Jones wasn’t even touched on that kickoff return. I mean, it was absolutely embarassing. The Ravens were totally prepared for this game; they made the Niners look like a Division II college team.

And as for the playcalling when they were at the 5, it was horrible. Frank Gore just ripped off a huge run and Ngata, the Ravens best d-line run defender, was out of the game. Get the jumbo package out and get it to Frank! He’s the heart and soul of the team, with all due respect to Patrick Willis. Instead they tried to get cute throwing it in. Smh